A Light in the Dark
by HisVampira
Summary: MA pairing. Complete. that I had to write because I didn't like the way the Dark Angel book by Max Collins, "After the Dark" ended. It also now has a sequel called "The Light at the End of the Tunnel" which is a WIP under pen name: HisVampira
1. Doublespeak

Author's Note: Quick show of hands from anyone whose read After The Dark, the last DA book...Who thinks the ending sucked big time? This is my version...what I think _should_ have happened. PG-13 for now...but later on we'll see. 

Disclaimer: I don't own a damn thing...still trying to figure out how to get the rights to Jensen Ackles, but unfortunately, I think it's an effort in futility. :( Oh well...I use some quotes from the book, After The Dark by Max Collins, but I'm changing the story...so no law suits, please. I'm broke anyway...

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A Light in the Dark

_Chapter One: Doublespeak_

Max was trying to form the words in her mind, attempting to find the ones she needed. But how do you tell someone that you don't feel the same way they do? She sat under the covers, contemplating the latest predicament with the men in her life. She had tried to tell him what had happened, but couldn't figure out how. She replayed the conversation in her head.

_"So, I'm forgiven?" Logan asked. _

_"I guess." She started the car and followed the route the truck had taken, but lagging. _

_"Because of what you said? My uncle and all?" _

_Max had been about to reply when Alec had come across her com-link, which she'd forgotten to turn off. _

_"Max, just forgive him already. You can tell him about us later. When he's not so damned emotional. " He paused. "I know what you're thinking, 'Why do I put up with that pain in the ass?' Right?" Alec joked. _

_"Yeah. That, and I love you," she said, forgetting about the man sitting in the passenger seat who'd been waiting for a response. The fact that he couldn't hear the other part of the conversation influenced how he interpreted it greatly. _

_If she'd have been paying attention she would've realized her mistake. As it were, she forgot that Logan was even in the car. _

_"I don't think you ever said that to me before," Logan and Alec said at the same time. Max hand't expected a response from the man next to her, so it didn't register that anyone but Alec had spoken. _

_"It was always too hard. I wanted to. Maybe I didn't figure I need to, until now. But..." _

_Alec decided to interject at that moment. Max, I love you too, and that's great, but aren't you forgetting something?" All he received in response what a puzzled silence. He sighed. "And you called _me_ the screw up. You do realize he can't hear me, right?" She glanced at Logan and realized he was definitely listening to her intently. He thought she'd said she loved him. 'Shit!' she thought. 'Quick, cover your tracks.' _

_"But..looking for you, finding you...now I know how important it is. To say it." _

_Alec growled ferally on the other end of the link. "Max...I meant tell him about US now...not let him think that you love him. Dammit!" _

_Logan reached out to touch her cheek. "You know that I love you, don't you? God, Max it's nice to be able to just feel my fingers on your skin...Are we alright?" _

_"You'd better tell me later what parts he touched you with and where," Alec spat, the threat clear in his voice. _

_"I won't lie to you," she replied, hoping it worked for both the conversations she was having simultaneously. _

_"I won't lie to you either!" Logan said. _

_"Good!" Alec bit off. "I'm coming to the motel tonight, Max. I'll drop of Mole and the others and then I'm coming. We're telling him tonight." He cut off his com-link and Max was left shell-shocked._

Max shuddered underneath the covers at the memory. Despite Logan's insistence they'd gotten separate rooms. She could hear the water of his shower running on the other side of the paper thin wall at her back. she heard him talking and couldn't help but listen, pressing her ear against the wall, knowing that really it wasn't necessary.

"You hungry? Or should we just go to bed?" Then in a higher pitched voice she heard him say, "I thought you'd never ask."

'What the hell is he doing?' she thought just as her com-link crackled back to life. 'Alec must be here,'

"Hey. Please, please, please tell me you got separate rooms," Alec said, slightly uncertain.

"I see you've calmed down. Of course we got separate rooms...despite some...resistance." 'Some...ha! That's the understatement of the year.'

"Good. What room are you in?" Alec was obviously relieved, Max could hear it in his voice. Had he honestly thought she'd share a room with Logan?

"You're so cute when you're jealous," she teased. 'Yeah...the way a killer jungle cat is cute when it's hungry.' Alec grunted in response, not wanting to admit his jealousy, but hard pressed to deny it. Max sighed. "Room 13."

Alec opened the door and walked in, right after she'd finished talking. She smiled at him. "What did you do? Blur over here?"

The lowering of his head and the pink tinge to his cheek spoke volumes and Max chuckled.

Logan leisurely got out of the shower, still thinking of the fantasy he'd concocted. The one where he and Max were _not_ in separate rooms and she invited him to bed for _not_ sleep. He turned his head quickly when he heard voices coming from Max's room. He paled quickly. If he could hear the voice, then Max with her enhanced hearing could've heard him...he pushed away the thought and tried to hear the conversation.

Max and Alec had begun whispering when the shower had cut off. The walls in the cheap motel were so thin, _leaning_ on one could result in its quick demise.

"You have to tell him."

"I know, Alec. But what do I say? 'Sorry Logan, but when I said I love you I was talkng to my genetically engineered love machine who I hooked up with while you were out being kidnapped.' Yeah..that'll go over real well," she scoffed. Alec couldn't help but laugh when hearing her.

"Genetically engineered love machine, huh?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Don't get cocky!" she joked.

"Moi? Cocky? Pfft! Never!" Max elapsed into hysteric giggles which she did her best to muffle with her hand.

"Well, Logan must be decent by now," she sighed once she'd regained her composure. "I guess we should go over there."

"It'll be alright, Max. He'll get over it...eventually." As much as he tried, he coudln't keep the triumphant grin from taking over his mouth. He'd won. "So much for all that training in how to keep a straight face,' he thought smugly.

Alec leaned over to kiss Max's forehead, putting a knee of the bed where she sat, but Max moved her head so this his lips met her own. Alec deepened the kiss, bringing a hand up to cup Max's face, the other going around her waist, holding her tight to him, both tenderly and possessively. Everything else in the world disappeared and all that was left was the two of them as they melted into each other's embrace.

And that was exactly the way Logan found them, mouths and hands entangled, lost in each other.

"What the hell?"

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Please review :) It gives me encouragement to write more... 


	2. Reckoning

For Disclaimers and Summaries, refer to Chapter One.

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A Light in the Dark

_Chapter Two: Reckoning_

"What the hell?" Logan yelled, staring wild-eyed at the sight the two transgenics set before him. The pair quickly split apart, but didn't move very far. "Alec, get away from her! I knew it...you're just the type of guy who would try to take advantage of a girl. Is she in heat? If you-"

"Logan, shut up!" both transgenics said in unison.

"This isn't how I wanted you to find out...I...tried to tell you earlier...but I couldn't-" Max was mortified. She became quickly aware how little she was wearing below her sheet. She tugged it up around her, as if not only could it protect her from prying eyes, but everything else as well.

"What do you mean, you didn't want me to find out this way? How?" Logan couldn't believe his ears. Hadn't she told him she loved him just hours earlier? "What the hell is going on?" He put a hand to his forehead and leaned against the wall, sliding himself down it until he sat on the floor.

Max and Alec shared a silent look, the wordless gesture speaking volumes.

"I...I was going to tell you once we got here...but everything in the car...it all just got screwed up," she said simply. Logan shook his head in disbelief.

"You told me you loved me...how does that get screwed up?"

"Funny story, that," Alec began, not noticing the dangerous glint in Logan's eyes at hearing his voice. "Max forgot to turn off her com-link and I was talking to her." It was then that he caught the other man's expression and realized he should have left this part up to Max. "Okay...so not really all that funny. Guess it was a had to be there thing."

"I _was_ there," Logan growled. "And it seemed to me like she told _me_ that she _loved_ me. How the hell did that conversation have anything to do with you?"

It was obvious that this wasn't going to go well no matter how they tried to deal with it. The only thing they could do was just lay everything out on the table, be completely honest, and then run damage control. Alec ran a hand through his hair and then moved it to rub the back of his neck. Max eyed her clothes, which were in a pile next to the shower.

"Um...do you think...you guys could excuse me for just a minute? I need to get dressed." Alec nodded and Max breathed a sigh of relief. He knew she was just trying to keep Logan from getting any more angry than he already was...and letting Alec stay in the room while she changed while he had to go wait outside was not the way to do that.

Logan didn't say a word or give any acknowledgement that Max had even spoken. He just stood up, flung open the door and stalked out. Alec gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and followed suit...without the hysterical antics of his predecessor.

Max threw the cover off of her and grabbed her clothes hurriedly. Leaving the two men vying for her heart alone together was _not_ a good idea under any circumstances, especially not one so serious. In a mere matter of seconds she was dressed and called for them to re-enter the room.

Alec walked over and sat on the cushioned recliner, glancing at Max as he did so. Her slight nod of approval was all he needed to know that he had done the smart thing in not coming back directly to her side on the bed. Logan took up residence in a small wooden chair that sat in front of a matching desk, if by matching you simply mean that it was also made of wood, and not under any other criteria.

The three of them just sat in silence for a few moments, at all costs avoiding any eye contact. Logan was the first to break the silence. "How could you do this, Max? How could you do this to me, to us?" The pain in his voice hit her hard, but there was also something else there, something that Max didn't like. She couldn't quite put a finger on what exactly it was.

"Logan, it's complicated..."

"How complicated could it be? You were mad about Seth, so you ran to Alec for comfort. I'm sure if you rethink this, you'll realize the mistake you've made." There it was again, that _something_ that Max could identify before. Arrogance.

Max stole a quick glance at Alec who was looking very much like the jungle cat she'd thought of earlier, reading to pounce. The glance pleaded with Alec to hold off, not to make things worse than they already were. He either saw this in her eyes, or decided for himself not to act; either way, he remained seated and silent, but his eyes never left the man seated across from him.

"It's a lot more complex than that. Things between me and you weren't right, haven't been right for a long time. Ever since I got back from Manticore. Alec and I...though we both couldn't admit it, had been having...feelings for each other long before I found out about Seth. Logan, please understand. You and I...we just weren't meant to be. We had so many signs..."

"NO! We were meant to be...still are. You want a sign? How bout all the times _he_ screwed up. All the times you had to risk your life to save him-" Logan said, staring daggers at Alec.

Before Max could even think of warning Alec to stay put, he was up out of his chair and in Logan's face.

"Me? What about you! How many times did you send Max to an almost certain death, just to get the scoop on some crooked politician? How many times did she risk her life for you and got nothing in return but a vague detail about the possible where-abouts of a person who might match the description of one of her siblings? Who got her back into the spotlight where she was found by Manticore, and then White? Sure as hell wasn't me!" Alec had started out yelling and had ended up only slightly louder than a whisper. But the venom in that low voice made Logan more afraid than if Alec had been screaming at him. It was the cold hard voice of a killer.

"Stop it, both of you!" Max ordered, jumping in between the two now silent men before someone got hurt. There was no doubt who that someone would if things got out of hand. '_If_ things got out of hand,' she thought to herself. 'I think we've blown by that exit.'

"No one is to blame here. No. One. Logan, you and I drifted apart. I wanted to tell you that...I didn't feel that way about you anymore, but so many things happened. You almost died on the roof that day, we found out the virus was cured, you got kidnapped.."

"Shouldn't that tell you something, Max? Shouldn't you be looking at _those_ signs? Everytime you tried to tell me we couldn't be together, something kept you from it." Logan prayed that what he was saying would strike a nerve.

"And how bout every time that I tried to tell you we should be together? I died, I came back, you almost died...twice. Doesn't _that_ tell you something?" She could only hope she was getting through to him. "Anyways...really it's not about the signs...it's about how I feel. I love-"

"Dammit, Max! You told me that you loved me today!" Logan stood up from the chair quickly, suddenly standing very, very close to Max. Alec's body, every single muscle, tensed, readying itself for action.

"Did you miss the part where she was actually talking to me then?" Alec wore his usual smirk, but the look in his eyes was anything but light.

"Shut-up! I want to hear this from Max. Not you." This was getting ugly fast.

Max took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was surely to come after this. "I forgot to turn my com-link off. Right about when you asked if you were forgiven is when Alec started talking. I...when I said 'I love you'...I was talking to him."

"I don't believe you. This is just another lie. To push me away. You don't have to push me away now, Max. And you certainly could've found a better substitute than _him_." Logan pointed an angry finger out at Alec. He was lucky he was too blind with anger to realize how close he had come to losing the appendage.

Max had had enough. "Dammit Logan! Get the hell over yourself for one minute, will you? I'm going to tell you this one more time. I. Love. Alec. End of story." Logan opened his mouth to respond, but Max glared at him and held up a hand. "No...I'm not finished. You and I are over. We were over a long time ago, I just wouldn't let myself believe it. Alec and I finally told each other how we felt back at TC...BEFORE you were taken. He's not a substitute. He's not a replacement. He's not a lie. He's MINE. My choice. My mate. I didn't want to tell you this until you'd had some time to recover from all the stress with the Familiars. But you didn't give me a choice. And now, you have to accept it and continue to be my friend. If you can't do that, get the hell out."

Logan stood, mouth agape, initially. "Fine. But when he screws up again, when he leaves you to deal with the mess, I hope you can live with that choice," he spat, turning toward the door, and holding the knob with a white-knuckle grip. "Because I won't be there next time." And with that he was gone. He didn't even bother to go back to his room.

Max just watched as the man she used to love walked out of her life.

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Good? Bad? Love it? Hate it? Please Review and let me know what you thought :)

Vamp


	3. A New Beginning

For Disclaimers and Summaries, refer to Chapter One.

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A Light in the Dark

_Chapter Two: A New Beginning_

"I didn't mean get the hell out right now..." Max muttered. Alec was next to her in under a second, stroking her hair, reassuring her. "Where the hell's he gonna go? We're in the middle of fucking nowhere."

"Well...he does have the keys."

"Yeah...there is that."

"Asshole, he had no right to talk to you like that." Alec was still fuming, but the calming sensation of Max's hand on his back was lessening the anger's hold on him.

"How would you react in the same situation?" She knew that she was pissed at Logan, but couldn't help but to be able to see his side.

"I hope I would have more dignity...and be a lot more good looking." He grinned, the sight sending waves of joy through Max. "Okay...I would probably have reacted almost the same way...but still. Can you blame me for hating him right now?"

"No," said Max, holding onto Alec a little tighter. She looked up and her brown eyes met his hazel ones. "Have I mentioned how cute you are when you're jealous?"

Alec playfully growled and picked Max up, holding her like a groom would a bride, and tossed her on the bed. He quickly followed her. He pinned down her arms at the wrist and at the glint in his eyes, Max knew what he was going to do.

"Alec, no," she said, the fear evident in her eyes. "Don't you dare!"

Alec just grinned and before Max could utter another plea, he began to tickle her sides unrelentingly. He didn't stop until she was gasping for breath. He leaned down over her, pausing for a moment to gaze at her beautiful face. The face that he'd fell in love with the first time they'd met. When he thought he'd never have a chance with her. But here she was now, finally his completely. He placed a light, loving kiss on her full lips.

"I love you, Maxie. I always will." He'd never meant anything more in his life. The carefully maintained soldier's mask slipped from his features, showing her just how much he meant the words he said.

"I love you, too."

Alec let go of Max's arms, moving to her side. She snuggled in close to him, resting her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat.

"You know he'll be back, right?"

"I know." And it was the truth. Max had known the moment he walked out the door that Logan wouldn't give up. He would be back. "We'll burn that bridge when we get to it."

Alec raised an eyebrow at the statement. "Don't you mean, 'cross'? Cross that bridge when we get to it?"

Max shook her head, and Alec understood. Logan would be back, but it didn't matter. There was no way he was ever getting Max back. Alec would be waiting for him whenever he decided to come to make sure he knew. The only way he'd get to Max would be through Alec's dead body. And he had a feeling that Logan might just take it that far.

But for right now...it didn't matter. All that did was the woman in his arms as he drifted off to sleep.

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Okay...that's the end...except for the sequel! Check out _The Light at the End of the Tunnel_(Rated R) 

Vamp


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